Trump Adviser Says War-Induced Pain to Consumers Is "the Last of Our Concerns"

"If [the war] were to be extended, it wouldn't really disrupt the U.S. economy very much at all. It would hurt consumers, and we'd have to think about, you know, if that continued, what we would have to do about that. But that's really the last of our concerns right now. Because we're very confident that this thing is going ahead of schedule."

"In an interview with CNBC, the Donald Trump appointee said that he believes the war will be over in a few weeks, and repeated the president's assertion that the U.S. is 'ahead of schedule' in relation to Trump's four to six week projection for the war."

"Gas prices have spiked since the U.S. and Israel's first strikes on February 28, going from a national average to $3.00 per gallon of regular unleaded gas to $3.79 a gallon, as of Tuesday. High oil prices are causing the [impact on consumers]."

Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council under President Trump, dismissed concerns about economic harm from a prolonged U.S.-Israel war on Iran. He expressed confidence the conflict will conclude within the projected four to six week timeframe, stating it is proceeding ahead of schedule. Hassett acknowledged that extended conflict would raise consumer prices but characterized this as a secondary concern given the strong economy. Gas prices have already increased from $3.00 to $3.79 per gallon since military strikes began on February 28, demonstrating existing consumer impact from the ongoing conflict.

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